When I was six years old, I received my gifts. My first grade teacher had this brilliant idea. She wanted us to experience receiving gifts but also learning the virtue of complimenting each other. So she had all of us come to the front of the classroom, and she bought all of us gifts and stacked them in the corner. And she said, "Why don't we just stand here and compliment each other? If you hear your name called, go and pick up your gift and sit down." What a wonderful idea, right? What could go wrong?
Kada mi je bilo šest godina, dobio sam poklone. Moja učiteljica u prvom razredu je imala sjajnu ideju. Želela je da iskusimo dobijanje poklona, ali i da naučimo vrlinu međusobnog pohvaljivanja. Pa nas je sve izvela ispred table i svima nam je kupila pokolone i nagomilala ih u jedan ugao. Rekla je: "Hajde da svi stojimo ovde i međusobno se poohvaljujemo? Ako vas prozovu po imenu, otiđite, pokupite svoj poklon i sedite." Kakva divna ideja, zar ne? Šta je moglo poći po zlu?
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
Well, there were 40 of us to start with, and every time I heard someone's name called, I would give out the heartiest cheer. And then there were 20 people left, and 10 people left, and five left ... and three left. And I was one of them. And the compliments stopped. Well, at that moment, I was crying. And the teacher was freaking out. She was like, "Hey, would anyone say anything nice about these people?"
Pa, na početku nas je bilo četrdesetoro i svaki put kad bih čuo da nekoga prozivaju, iz sveg srca bih ga bodrio. A onda je preostalo 20 ljudi, pa 10 ljudi, pa pet... i ostalo je troje. Ja sam bio jedan od njih. I komplimenti su prestali. Pa, u tom trenutku sam plakao. A učiteljica je bila u panici. Bila je u fazonu: "Hej, zar niko neće da kaže nešto lepo o ovim ljudima?"
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
"No one? OK, why don't you go get your gift and sit down. So behave next year -- someone might say something nice about you."
"Niko? U redu, uzmite svoje poklone i sedite. Budite dobri dogodine - možda neko kaže nešto lepo o vama."
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
Well, as I'm describing this you, you probably know I remember this really well.
Pa, kako vam ovo opisujem, verovatno razumete da sam ovo dobro zapamtio.
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
But I don't know who felt worse that day. Was it me or the teacher? She must have realized that she turned a team-building event into a public roast for three six-year-olds. And without the humor. You know, when you see people get roasted on TV, it was funny. There was nothing funny about that day.
Međutim, ne znam ko se tog dana osećao gore. Ja ili učiteljica? Mora da je shvatila da je pretvorila ekipni događaj nadogradnje u javno izrugivanje tri šestogodišnjaka. I to bez humora. Znate, kad vidite kako se rugaju ljudima na TV-u, to je smešno. Ništa kod tog dana nije bilo smešno.
So that was one version of me, and I would die to avoid being in that situation again -- to get rejected in public again. That's one version. Then fast-forward eight years. Bill Gates came to my hometown -- Beijing, China -- to speak, and I saw his message. I fell in love with that guy. I thought, wow, I know what I want to do now. That night I wrote a letter to my family telling them: "By age 25, I will build the biggest company in the world, and that company will buy Microsoft."
Pa, to je jedna verzija mene, i ja bih umro da izbegnem da se ponovo nađem u toj situaciji - da me ponovo javno odbiju. To je jedna verzija. Zatim ćemo premotati osam godina. Bil Gejts je došao u moj rodni grad - Peking u Kini - da održi govor, i ja sam video njegovu poruku. Zaljubio sam se u tog čoveka. Pomislio sam, aha, sad znam čime želim da se bavim. Te noći sam napisao pismo svojima, govoreći im: "Do 25. godine, sagradiću najveću firmu na svetu, i ta firma će da kupi Majkrosoft."
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
I totally embraced this idea of conquering the world -- domination, right? And I didn't make this up, I did write that letter. And here it is --
Potpuno sam prigrlio ideju osvajanja sveta - dominacije, je l' da? I ovo nisam izmislio, napisao sam to pismo. I evo ga -
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
You don't have to read this through --
Ne morate da ga celog čitate -
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
This is also bad handwriting, but I did highlight some key words. You get the idea.
Takođe je rukopis loš, ali sam istakao neke ključne reči. Kapirate o čemu se radi.
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
So ... that was another version of me: one who will conquer the world.
Pa... to je još jedna verzija mene: ona koja će da osvoji svet.
Well, then two years later, I was presented with the opportunity to come to the United States. I jumped on it, because that was where Bill Gates lived, right?
Pa, dve godine kasnije, pružila mi se prilika da dođem u Sjedinjene Države. Jedva sam je dočekao jer tu živi Bil Gejts, je li tako?
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
I thought that was the start of my entrepreneur journey. Then, fast-forward another 14 years. I was 30. Nope, I didn't build that company. I didn't even start. I was actually a marketing manager for a Fortune 500 company. And I felt I was stuck; I was stagnant. Why is that? Where is that 14-year-old who wrote that letter? It's not because he didn't try. It's because every time I had a new idea, every time I wanted to try something new, even at work -- I wanted to make a proposal, I wanted to speak up in front of people in a group -- I felt there was this constant battle between the 14-year-old and the six-year-old. One wanted to conquer the world -- make a difference -- another was afraid of rejection. And every time that six-year-old won.
Mislio sam da je to početak mog preduzetničkog putovanja. Potom, premotajmo narednih 14 godina. Bilo mi je 30 godina. Ne, nisam sagradio tu firmu. Nisam čak ni počeo. Zapravo sam bio marketinški menadžer za firmu Fortune 500. I osećao sam da sam u škripcu. Da stagniram. Zašto je tako? Gde je 14-ogodišnjak koji je napisao to pismo? Nije da nije pokušao. Radi se o tome da svaki put kad bih imao novu ideju, svaki put kad bih želeo da pokušam nešto novo, čak i na poslu - kad bih želeo da predložim, kad bih želeo da govorim pred grupom ljudi - osećao sam konstantnu borbu između 14-ogodišnjaka i šestogodišnjaka. Jedan je želeo da osvoji svet - da bude značajan - drugi se plašio odbijanja. I svaki put bi šestogodišnjak pobedio.
And this fear even persisted after I started my own company. I mean, I started my own company when I was 30 -- if you want to be Bill Gates, you've got to start sooner or later, right? When I was an entrepreneur, I was presented with an investment opportunity, and then I was turned down. And that rejection hurt me. It hurt me so bad that I wanted to quit right there. But then I thought, hey, would Bill Gates quit after a simple investment rejection? Would any successful entrepreneur quit like that? No way. And this is where it clicked for me. OK, I can build a better company. I can build a better team or better product, but one thing for sure: I've got to be a better leader. I've got to be a better person. I cannot let that six-year-old keep dictating my life anymore. I have to put him back in his place.
A ovaj strah je opstao čak i nakon što sam osnovao sopstvenu firmu. Mislim, osnovao sam sopstvenu firmu kad mi je bilo 30 godina - želite li da budete Bil Gejts, morate kad tad da počnete, zar ne? Dok sam bio preduzetnik, ponuđena mi je investiciona prilika, a potom sam odbijen. A to odbijanje me je povredilo. Toliko me je povredilo da sam odmah poželeo da odustanem. Ali onda sam pomislio, hej, da li bi Bil Gejts odustao nakon prostog investiocionog odbijanja? Da li bi ijedan uspešan preduzetnik odustao tek tako? Nema šanse. I tu mi je kvrcnulo. U redu, mogu da izgradim bolju firmu. Mogu da napravim bolju ekipu ili bolji proizvod, ali jedno je izvesno: moram da budem bolji vođa. Moram da budem bolja osoba. Ne mogu da dozvoljavam šestogodišnjaku da upravlja mojim životom. Moram da ga stavim gde mu je mesto.
So this is where I went online and looked for help. Google was my friend.
Tad sam krenuo da tražim pomoć na internetu. Gugl mi je bio prijatelj.
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
I searched, "How do I overcome the fear of rejection?" I came up with a bunch of psychology articles about where the fear and pain are coming from. Then I came up with a bunch of "rah-rah" inspirational articles about "Don't take it personally, just overcome it." Who doesn't know that?
Tražio sam: "Kako da prevaziđem strah od odbijanja?" Naišao sam na gomilu psiholoških članaka o tome odakle strah i bol potiču. Potom sam naišao na gomilu "bla-bla" inspiracionih članaka u smislu: "Ne primaj to lično, samo to prevaziđi." Ko ne zna za to?
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
But why was I still so scared? Then I found this website by luck. It's called rejectiontherapy.com.
Ali zašto me je i dalje bilo strah? Onda sam slučajno otkrio ovaj vebsajt. Zove se rejectiontherapy.com.
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
"Rejection Therapy" was this game invented by this Canadian entrepreneur. His name is Jason Comely. And basically the idea is for 30 days you go out and look for rejection, and every day get rejected at something, and then by the end, you desensitize yourself from the pain. And I loved that idea.
"Terapija odbijanja" je igra koju je smislio ovaj kanadski preduzetnik. Zove se Džejson Komli. I ideja je u suštini da 30 dana tragate za odbijanjem i da vas svaki dan odbiju za nešto, i tako do kraja igre postanete bezosećajni za taj bol. A ideja me je oduševila.
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
I said, "You know what? I'm going to do this. And I'll feel myself getting rejected 100 days." And I came up with my own rejection ideas, and I made a video blog out of it.
Rekao sam: "Znate šta? Uradiću to. I iskusiću kako me odbijaju 100 dana." Smislio sam sopstvene ideje za odbijanje i napravio sam video blog o tome.
And so here's what I did. This is what the blog looked like. Day One ...
A evo šta sam radio. Evo kako je blog izgledao. Prvi dan...
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
Borrow 100 dollars from a stranger. So this is where I went to where I was working. I came downstairs and I saw this big guy sitting behind a desk. He looked like a security guard. So I just approached him. And I was just walking and that was the longest walk of my life -- hair on the back of my neck standing up, I was sweating and my heart was pounding. And I got there and said, "Hey, sir, can I borrow 100 dollars from you?"
Pozajmiti 100 dolara od stranca. Dakle, ovde sam krenuo sa mesta na kom sam radio. Sišao sam niza stepenice i video sam krupnog čoveka kako sedi za stolom. Izgledao je kao obezbeđenje. Pa sam mu prosto prišao. I samo sam hodao i to je bio najduži hod u mom životu - kosa mi se podigla na potiljku, znojio sam se i srce mi je lupalo. I došao sam i upitao: "Hej, gospodine, mogu li od vas da pozajmim 100 dolara?"
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
And he looked up, he's like, "No." "Why?"
A on je podigao pogled, kao: "Ne". "Zašto?"
And I just said, "No? I'm sorry." Then I turned around, and I just ran.
A ja sam samo rekao: "Ne? Izvinjavam se." Potom sam se okrenuo i samo pobegao.
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
I felt so embarrassed. But because I filmed myself -- so that night I was watching myself getting rejected, I just saw how scared I was. I looked like this kid in "The Sixth Sense." I saw dead people.
Tako me je bilo sramota. No, pošto sam se snimao - te noći sam gledao kako me odbijaju, prosto sam video koliko me je bilo strah. Izgledao sam kao onaj klinac iz "Šestog čula". Video sam mrtve ljude.
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
But then I saw this guy. You know, he wasn't that menacing. He was a chubby, loveable guy, and he even asked me, "Why?" In fact, he invited me to explain myself. And I could've said many things. I could've explained, I could've negotiated. I didn't do any of that. All I did was run. I felt, wow, this is like a microcosm of my life. Every time I felt the slightest rejection, I would just run as fast as I could. And you know what? The next day, no matter what happens, I'm not going to run. I'll stay engaged.
No onda sam pogledao tog čoveka. Znate, nije bio toliko strašan. Bio je ljupki bucko, čak me je i upitao: "Zašto?" Zapravo me je pozvao da se objasnim. I mogao sam da kažem štošta. Mogao sam da objasnim, mogao sam da pregovaram. Nisam uradio bilo šta od toga. Samo sam pobegao. Osetio sam, opa, ovo je poput mog životnog mikrokosmosa. Svaki put kad bih osetio i najmanje odbijanje, prosto bih pobegao što je brže moguće. I znate šta? Sledećeg dana, šta god da se desi, neću da pobegnem. Ostaću pri svom.
Day Two: Request a "burger refill."
Drugi dan: Zahtevati "dopunu pljeskavice".
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
It's when I went to a burger joint, I finished lunch, and I went to the cashier and said, "Hi, can I get a burger refill?"
Tada sam krenuo u restoran brze hrane, pojeo sam ručak, otišao do kasira i pitao: "Ćao, možete li da mi dopunite pljeskavicu?"
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
He was all confused, like, "What's a burger refill?"
Bio je sav zbunjen, u stilu: "Šta je dopuna pljeskavice?"
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
I said, "Well, it's just like a drink refill but with a burger." And he said, "Sorry, we don't do burger refill, man."
Rekao sam: "Pa, to je poput dosipanja pića, ali s pljeskavicom." A on je rekao: "Izvini, ne dopunjavamo pljeskavice."
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
So this is where rejection happened and I could have run, but I stayed. I said, "Well, I love your burgers, I love your joint, and if you guys do a burger refill, I will love you guys more."
Dakle, ovde sam bio odbijen i mogao sam da pobegnem, ali sam ostao. Rekao sam: "Pa, volim vaše pljeskavice, volim vaš restoran i ako biste dopunjavali pljeskavice, još više bih vas voleo."
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
And he said, "Well, OK, I'll tell my manager about it, and maybe we'll do it, but sorry, we can't do this today." Then I left. And by the way, I don't think they've ever done burger refill.
A on je rekao: "Pa, u redu, reći ću menadžeru za to, možda ćemo to i da uradimo, ali žao mi je, danas ne možemo." Potom sam otišao. I, usput, mislim da nikad nisu dopunjavali pljeskavice.
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
I think they're still there. But the life and death feeling I was feeling the first time was no longer there, just because I stayed engaged -- because I didn't run. I said, "Wow, great, I'm already learning things. Great."
Mislim da i dalje postoje. Ali osećanje života i smrti koje sam osetio prvog puta više nije bilo prisutno, samo zato što sam ostao pri svom - jer nisam pobegao. Rekao sam: "Aha, sjajno, već učim ponešto. Sjajno."
And then Day Three: Getting Olympic Doughnuts. This is where my life was turned upside down. I went to a Krispy Kreme. It's a doughnut shop in mainly the Southeastern part of the United States. I'm sure they have some here, too. And I went in, I said, "Can you make me doughnuts that look like Olympic symbols? Basically, you interlink five doughnuts together ... " I mean there's no way they could say yes, right? The doughnut maker took me so seriously.
A onda treći dan: nabaviti olimpijske krofne. Tad se moj život preokrenuo. Otišao sam u Krispy Kreme. To je radnja s krofnama, uglavnom su u jugoistočnom delu Sjedinjenih Država. Siguran sam da imaju radnje i ovde. I ušao sam, rekavši: "Možete li da mi napravite krofne koje izgledaju kao olimpijski simboli? U suštini upletete pet krofni zajedno..." Mislim, nema šanse da bi pristali, zar ne? Kuvarica krofni me je baš ozbiljno shvatila.
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
So she put out paper, started jotting down the colors and the rings, and is like, "How can I make this?" And then 15 minutes later, she came out with a box that looked like Olympic rings. And I was so touched. I just couldn't believe it. And that video got over five million views on Youtube. The world couldn't believe that either.
Pa je izvadila papir, počela je da pravi skicu boja i krugova, i sva je u stilu: "Kako da ovo napravim?" A onda, 15 minuta kasnije, izašla je s kutijom koja je izgledala poput olimpijskih krugova. I bio sam toliko dirnut. Prosto nisam mogao da verujem. A taj snimak je imao preko pet miliona pregleda na Jutjubu. Svet takođe nije mogao da veruje.
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
You know, because of that I was in newspapers, in talk shows, in everything. And I became famous. A lot of people started writing emails to me and saying, "What you're doing is awesome." But you know, fame and notoriety did not do anything to me. What I really wanted to do was learn, and to change myself. So I turned the rest of my 100 days of rejection into this playground -- into this research project. I wanted to see what I could learn.
Znate, zbog toga sam bio u novinama, tok šouovima, svuda. Postao sam poznat. Mnogo ljudi mi je pisalo mejlove i govorili su: "To što radiš je sjajno." Ali znate, slava i prepoznatljivost me nisu dotakli. Ja sam zaista samo želeo da učim i da se promenim. Pa sam pretvorio ostatak mojih 100 dana odbijanja u ovo igralište - u ovaj istraživački projekat. Želeo sam da vidim šta mogu da naučim.
And then I learned a lot of things. I discovered so many secrets. For example, I found if I just don't run, if I got rejected, I could actually turn a "no" into a "yes," and the magic word is, "why."
I onda sam naučio svašta. Otkrio sam toliko tajni. Na primer, otkrio sam da samo ako ne pobegnem, kad me odbiju, da mogu zapravo "ne" da pretvorim u "da", a magična reč je: "Zašto".
So one day I went to a stranger's house, I had this flower in my hand, knocked on the door and said, "Hey, can I plant this flower in your backyard?"
Pa sam jednog dana pošao do kuće stranca, imao sam neki cvet u ruci, pokucao sam na vrata i pitao: "Hej, mogu li da posadim ovaj cvet u vaše dvorište?"
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
And he said, "No." But before he could leave I said, "Hey, can I know why?" And he said, "Well, I have this dog that would dig up anything I put in the backyard. I don't want to waste your flower. If you want to do this, go across the street and talk to Connie. She loves flowers." So that's what I did. I went across and knocked on Connie's door. And she was so happy to see me.
I on je rekao: "Ne." No pre nego što je otišao, pitao sam: "Hej, mogu li da znam zašto?" A on je rekao: "Pa, imam psa koji iskopa sve što posadim u dvorištu. Ne želim da vam proćerdam cvet. Ako želite to da uradite, pođite preko puta i razgovarajte s Koni. Ona voli cveće." Pa sam to i uradio. Pošao sam preko puta i pokucao na Konina vrata. A njoj je bilo baš drago što me vidi.
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
And then half an hour later, there was this flower in Connie's backyard. I'm sure it looks better now.
A onda je pola sata kasnije ovaj cvet bio u Koninom dvorištu. Sigurno danas lepše izgleda.
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
But had I left after the initial rejection, I would've thought, well, it's because the guy didn't trust me, it's because I was crazy, because I didn't dress up well, I didn't look good. It was none of those. It was because what I offered did not fit what he wanted. And he trusted me enough to offer me a referral, using a sales term. I converted a referral.
Ali da sam otišao nakon prvobitnog odbijanja, pomislio bih, pa, to je zato što mi čovek nije verovao, to je zato što sam lud, jer se nisam dobro obukao, nisam izgledao dobro. Nije bilo ništa od toga. To je zato što moja ponuda nije bila nešto što mu treba. A verovao mi je dovoljno da me uputi dalje, da koristim trgovački termin. Preobratio sam uput.
Then one day -- and I also learned that I can actually say certain things and maximize my chance to get a yes. So for example, one day I went to a Starbucks, and asked the manager, "Hey, can I be a Starbucks greeter?" He was like, "What's a Starbucks greeter?" I said, "Do you know those Walmart greeters? You know, those people who say 'hi' to you before you walk in the store, and make sure you don't steal stuff, basically? I want to give a Walmart experience to Starbucks customers."
Jednog dana - i takođe sam naučio da mogu da kažem određene stvari i da uvećam svoje šanse za pozitivan odgovor. Na primer, jednog dana sam otišao u Starbaks i upitao menadžera: "Hej, mogu li da budem Starbaksova hostesa?" Bio je u fazonu: "Šta je Starbaksova hostesa?" Rekao sam: "Znate one hostese u Volmartu? Znate, oni ljudi koji vam kažu "zdravo" pre ulaska u radnju, i u suštini se staraju da ne kradete stvari? Želim Starbaksovim mušterijama da pružim iskustvo iz Volmarta."
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
Well, I'm not sure that's a good thing, actually -- Actually, I'm pretty sure it's a bad thing. And he was like, "Oh" -- yeah, this is how he looked, his name is Eric -- and he was like, "I'm not sure." This is how he was hearing me. "Not sure." Then I ask him, "Is that weird?" He's like, "Yeah, it's really weird, man." But as soon as he said that, his whole demeanor changed. It's as if he's putting all the doubt on the floor. And he said, "Yeah, you can do this, just don't get too weird."
Pa, nisam siguran da je to zapravo dobra ideja - Zapravo, prilično sam siguran da je to nešto loše. I bio je u fazonu: "Ah" - da, ovako je izgledao, zove se Erik - a bio je u stilu, "Nisam siguran." Ovako me je čuo. "Nisam siguran." Onda sam upitao: "Je li to čudno?" A on će: "Da, zaista je čudno, čoveče." Ali čim je to rekao, celokupno ponašanje mu se promenilo. Kao da je sve sumnje odložio na pod. I rekao je: "Da, možeš to da uradiš, samo ne budi suviše čudan."
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
So for the next hour I was the Starbucks greeter. I said "hi" to every customer that walked in, and gave them holiday cheers. By the way, I don't know what your career trajectory is, don't be a greeter.
Narednih sat vremena sam bio Starbaksova hostesa. Rekao sam "zdravo" svakoj mušteriji koja je ušla i pružio im praznične pozdrave. Usput, ne znam kako vam se odvija karijera, nemojte da budete hostesa.
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
It was really boring. But then I found I could do this because I mentioned, "Is that weird?" I mentioned the doubt that he was having. And because I mentioned, "Is that weird?", that means I wasn't weird. That means I was actually thinking just like him, seeing this as a weird thing. And again, and again, I learned that if I mention some doubt people might have before I ask the question, I gained their trust. People were more likely to say yes to me.
Bilo je zaista dosadno. Ali sam tad otkrio da mogu ovo da uradim jer sam pomenuo: "Da li je to čudno?" Spomenuo sam sumnju koju je imao. A zato što sam spomenuo: "Da li je to čudno?" značilo je da nisam čudan. Značilo je da zapravo mislim baš što i on, da uviđam kako je to nešto čudno. I iznova i iznova, naučio sam da ako pomenem neku sumnju koju ljudi možda imaju pre nego postavim pitanje, zadobiću njihovo poverenje. Ljudi su bili skloniji da mi kažu da.
And then I learned I could fulfill my life dream ... by asking. You know, I came from four generations of teachers, and my grandma has always told me, "Hey Jia, you can do anything you want, but it'd be great if you became a teacher."
I onda sam shvatio da mogu da ostvarim životni san... pitajući. Znate, potičem iz četiri generacije nastavnika, i baka mi je uvek govorila: "Hej, Đija, možeš da se baviš čime god želiš, ali bi bilo divno kad bi postao nastavnik."
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
But I wanted to be an entrepreneur, so I didn't. But it has always been my dream to actually teach something. So I said, "What if I just ask and teach a college class?" I lived in Austin at the time, so I went to University of Texas at Austin and knocked on professors' doors and said, "Can I teach your class?" I didn't get anywhere the first couple of times. But because I didn't run -- I kept doing it -- and on the third try the professor was very impressed. He was like, "No one has done this before." And I came in prepared with powerpoints and my lesson. He said, "Wow, I can use this. Why don't you come back in two months? I'll fit you in my curriculum." And two months later I was teaching a class.
No, ja sam želeo da budem preduzetnik, te nisam. Ali mi je oduvek bio san da nešto zapravo predajem. Pa sam rekao: "Šta ako bih prosto pitao da predajem čas na fakultetu?" Tada sam živeo u Ostinu, pa sam pošao do Univerziteta Teksas u Ostinu i pokucao sam na vrata profesoru i pitao: "Mogu li da održim vaš čas?" Nigde nisam stigao prvih nekoliko puta. No kako nisam pobegao - nastavio sam s tim - i trećeg puta profesor je bio veoma impresioniran. Bio je u stilu: "Niko to pre nije uradio." A ja sam došao spreman sa prezentacijom u Power point-u i lekcijom. Rekao je: "Opa, ovo bi mi bilo korisno. Dođi za dva meseca. Ubaciću te u plan rada." A dva meseca kasnije, držao sam predavanje.
This is me -- you probably can't see, this is a bad picture. You know, sometimes you get rejected by lighting, you know?
Ovo sam ja - verovatno ne možete da vidite, ovo je loša slika. Znate, nekad vas rasveta odbije.
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
But wow -- when I finished teaching that class, I walked out crying, because I thought I could fulfill my life dream just by simply asking. I used to think I have to accomplish all these things -- have to be a great entrepreneur, or get a PhD to teach -- but no, I just asked, and I could teach.
Ali, alal vera - kad sam završio predavanje, izašao sam plačući jer sam pomislio da sam mogao da ostvarim životni san prosto pitajući. Nekad sam mislio da moram da postignem sve te stvari - moram da budem sjajan preduzetnik, ili da dobijem doktorat da bih predavao - ali ne, samo sam pitao i mogao sam da predajem.
And in that picture, which you can't see, I quoted Martin Luther King, Jr. Why? Because in my research I found that people who really change the world, who change the way we live and the way we think, are the people who were met with initial and often violent rejections. People like Martin Luther King, Jr., like Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, or even Jesus Christ. These people did not let rejection define them. They let their own reaction after rejection define themselves. And they embraced rejection.
A na toj slici, to ne možete da vidite, citirao sam Martina Lutera Kinga mlađeg. Zašto? Jer sam u svom istraživanju otkrio da ljudi koji zaista menjaju svet, koji menjaju način na koji živimo i način na koji mislimo su ljudi koji su u početku dočekani sa često snažnim odbijanjem. Ljudi, poput Martina Lutera Kinga mlađeg, poput Mahatme Gandija, Nelsona Mandele, pa čak i Isusa Hrista. Ti ljudi nisu dopustili da ih odbijanje definiše. Dozvolili su sopstvenim reakcijama nakon odbijanja da ih definišu. I prigrlili su odbijanje.
And we don't have to be those people to learn about rejection, and in my case, rejection was my curse, was my boogeyman. It has bothered me my whole life because I was running away from it. Then I started embracing it. I turned that into the biggest gift in my life. I started teaching people how to turn rejections into opportunities. I use my blog, I use my talk, I use the book I just published, and I'm even building technology to help people overcome their fear of rejection.
I ne moramo da budemo ti ljudi da bismo naučili o odbijanju, a u mom slučaju, odbijanje je bilo moja kletva, moja babaroga. Mučilo me je čitav moj život jer sam bežao od njega. Onda sam počeo da ga prihvatam. Preokrenuo sam to u najveći poklon u mom životu. Počeo sam da podučavam ljude kako da preobrate odbijanja u šanse. Koristim svoj blog, koristim moj govor, koristim knjigu koju sam upravo objavio čak i pravim tehnologiju da pomognem ljudima da prevaziđu strah od odbijanja.
When you get rejected in life, when you are facing the next obstacle or next failure, consider the possibilities. Don't run. If you just embrace them, they might become your gifts as well.
Kada vas odbiju u životu, kada ste suočeni s novom preprekom ili novim neuspehom, razmotrite mogućnosti. Ne bežite. Ako ih samo prigrlite, mogle bi da postanu takođe vaši darovi.
Thank you.
Hvala vam.
(Applause)
(Aplauz)